Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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With CITS it is possible to book one month in advance for trains originating in Bĕijīng,
and you can collect your ticket from one week to one day before departure. A booking fee
applies.
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CITS only sells tickets from Bĕijīng to Moscow or Ulaanbaatar - no stopovers are al-
lowed. Tickets to Ulaanbaatar cost Y1067/1969 in hard/soft sleeper. Prices can change
slightly depending on which country is operating the train.
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You can also buy train tickets privately; they will be more expensive than from CITS, but
you may also be able to arrange a stopover and visas. In Bĕijīng,
Monkey Business
Shrine
( 8610-6591 6519;
www.monkeyshrine.com
;
27 Beisanlitun, bldg 2, room 202)
can put together all kinds of stopovers and homestay programs. The company has a lot of
experience in booking international trains for independent travellers. In Hong Kong, it
goes under the name
Moonsky Star Ltd
( 852-2723 1376;
www.monkeyshrine.com
;
Flat D, 11th fl, Liberty Mansion, 26E Jordan Rd, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon).
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Note that the Russian embassies in most countries only accept visa applications from
official residents. So it's best to apply for your Russian visa in your home country (or
country where you have a residency card). Visa rules at the Russian embassy in Ulaan-
baatar are relaxing a little for some nationalities but it's often the case that applications
are handled on a case-by-case basis.
LOCAL TRAIN
If you're on a tight budget it's possible to take local trains between UB and Bĕijīng. This
will save some money but involves more hassle and time. Unless you have booked your
seats weeks in advance, the local train may be your only option during the peak summer
travel period.
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The first option is train 21 or 22, which runs between Ulaanbaatar and Èrlián just inside
China. Mongolian train 22 leaves Ulaanbaatar at 8pm on Thursday and Sunday and ar-
rives in Èrlián at about 10.25am the next morning, after completing immigration and cus-
toms formalities. In reverse, train 21 leaves Èrlián on Monday and Friday evenings and
arrives the next day. The schedules for this train change regularly.
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The second option is to take local trains to Zamyn-Üüd in Mongolia and then cross the
border by minivan or jeep. From Èrlián you can go deeper into China by either train, bus
or plane.
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From Bĕijīng, the local train for Jíníng departs at 11.42am and takes about nine hours. A
second train departs at 9.20pm and continues to Hohhot. The train from Jíníng to Èrlián
departs around noon and takes six hours. (Alternatively, a 7am bus takes just four hours.)
If you have to stay the night in Jíníng, there's a budget hotel on the right (south) side of
the plaza as you walk out of the train station.
